Coffee. It's my favorite part of the day. It relaxes me. It makes my day get started. Heck, there are times I have a nice cuppa before bed. But, it better be good coffee where I want to get to the bottom of the cup. Some coffees, you just let them sit in their mug getting cold. On purpose.
Taste and review
I've always found coffee reviews to be the hardest to sit down and write. It's hard to come up with that many words to describe my favorite morning beverage.
But, I think I've come up with a pretty fair analogy on how this tastes.
I want you to think of the last hotel you were in where there was a coffee maker in the room. Not the one where they might have a continental breakfast. And not one with a Keurig brewer either.
You know the coffee makers that make anywhere from 1-3 cups of coffee on one pre-filled sealed coffee filter with the grounds in the middle. Those pods are usually sealed in a plastic bag that makes the weakest coffee imaginable. Even if you brew a single mug.
I mean these are the types of coffee that would drive you out of a room to find real coffee. They're bad enough that they will force you to get dressed to seek better coffee.
They've now bagged that disappointment in this bag. Now, I'm not saying it's Trader Joe's coffee. I'm saying that the contents of this pre-ground coffee are equally disappointing to in-room hotel coffee maker coffee.
The first time I had this I used the same amount of coffee that I would any other brew. It poured a very pale shade of coffee water. I understand fully that this is a light roast. But this was a pale brew even for me.
Worse yet, was that familiar under-flavored coffee taste. It's not often here I've complained about coffee. I've tried my share of light roasts including the now discontinued Trader Joe's Lys Kaffe (and other various small-lot coffees) and didn't mind them.
The next pot was filled to the brim with coffee grounds to get a better brew. I had to use a lot more, but I did not yield a satisfying cup where I desired more than one cup.
Overall
There is nothing complex about this brew. It's basic morning coffee at best. But if you are home, you deserve better. You deserve something that you can drink that will put a smile on your face.
For $3.99 for 14 ounces, this is a relatively inexpensive coffee. But I can taste right through the price on this one. While the small lots are hit or miss, there is something about those single-origin coffees that reminds me of how special coffee can and should be.
Would I buy this again? No, I would not buy Trader Joe's Joe Coffee again.
Product photos
The bag of Trader Joe's Joe Coffee:
How to prepare:
How Trader Joe's describes the contents of this bag:
Want to see more items I've reviewed from Trader Joe's? Click on Thoughts & Reviews of Trader Joe's for a searchable list.
Did you try it? Let me know what you think in the comments section!
The Bottom Line
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Trader Joe's Joe Coffee
Product Name: Trader Joe's Joe Coffee
Product Description: Trader Joe's Joe Coffee is a new light roast coffee.
Price: $3.99
Currency: USD
Availability: InStoreOnly
Summary
Trader Joe's Joe Coffee is a new light roast coffee that is pre-ground.
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Taste
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Value
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Worthy of Repurchasing
Pros
- This is an affordable coffee if you make it at home.
Cons
- No option for whole bean
- It tastes like cheap coffee
Alek says
DANG IT! I thought TJ's took a big step and did a Joe Joe's flavored coffee. That would be a big move and people would go crazy. Why TJ's haven't done a cookie butter flavored coffee yet
becomebetty says
Hey Alek! That would make for a pretty awesome leap right there. It seems like the only flavored coffee they have is available around the holidays. They even took the NM Pinon coffee off of the shelves. Cookie butter flavored coffee (even a creamer) would sound pretty amazing. I'd absolutely try a Joe Joe flavored coffee too. Thanks so much for stopping by!
Ttrockwood Ttrockwood says
Yikes! I honestly just gave up on TJs coffee a long time ago, in an emergency i pick up the orangic french roast whole beans. But i found my ideal coffee in Peet’s major dickinson blend, a nice rich full body coffee that is very smooth.
becomebetty says
Hey Ttrockwood! The Joe's bagged coffee seems lackluster. But some of the small lot coffees have been pretty good. The only bummer is by the time I realize I like them, they're often gone. I still won't be content until I can say I've tried it all (even if they are all duds). Thanks so much for stopping by!